Rent the 'Scarface' Mansion

By Shannon Petrie
| Published: 11/9/2012

Say hello to one of Santa Barbara's most recognizable estates. On the rental market for $30,000 per month, this mansion starred as the home of Cuban drug dealer Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) in the 1983 gangster film Scarface.

Village Properties

Though the movie is set in Miami, exterior shots of Montana's Coral Gables estate were filmed at this 10-acre property in the exclusive enclave of Montecito. Known as "El Fureidis" (which loosely translates to "Little Paradise"), the estate was built by J. Waldron Gillespie, the scion of a wealthy New York banking family. In 1890, Gillespie began transforming the property into a plush, Persian-inspired garden, complete with cascading pools, tiered terraces and more than 125 varieties of palm trees. Thanks to his design, later California estates were inspired to break away from the eastern U.S. style of landscaping traditionally used in the area.

Village Properties

After more than a decade of developing the grounds, Gillespie hired architect Bertram Goodhue to build a Mediterranean villa on the property -- the first of this style in Santa Barbara. Spread over more than 9,000 square feet, the grandiose mansion features a dining room with a dramatic barrel-vaulted ceiling, a living room with gleaming herringbone floors and a conversation room topped with a gold-leaf-adorned dome.

Though living like a Miami kingpin will cost you a pretty penny, $30,000 sounds like a downright steal compared to the home's former rate: an unbelievable $150,000 per month. How much would you pay to live in this palatial estate?

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